While tens of thousands of students and union members marched through Paris protesting school conditions, a parallel France was unfolding a few métros away: a nine-day parade of mega-budget fashion shows starring movie actors, supermodels and thousands of very important clients. Paris Fashion Week's spring-summer 2027 editions ran from a giant Dior set in the Tuileries to a golden Saint Laurent send-off by the Eiffel Tower, Chanel's surreal 'Goose Moon' inside the Grand Palais, and Louis Vuitton's show in the Louvre's Cour Carrée.
The contrast with the street is stark, but the money is real. Despite weak Chinese spending and global jitters, LVMH — parent of Dior and Louis Vuitton among roughly 70 brands — posted €10.9bn in net profit on €80.8bn of revenues, while Chanel earned $2.9bn on $19bn in sales. Luxury, in Paris at least, is booming.
The clothes told their own story. After four French heatwaves, designers went impossibly light: Dior's Jonathan Anderson built a mangrove-fringed pond in the Tuileries and sent out plissé skirts, sheer pleated chiffon trousers and featherweight tailoring. Saint Laurent's Anthony Vaccarello appeared to close a decade-long tenure with 49 all-gold looks under giant chandeliers on the Seine esplanade. At Tom Ford, Haider Ackermann staged a sultry, tightly controlled show for just 200 guests, while 3,000 fans and self-styled influencers shot their own lookbooks on the pavement outside — a strange new fashion order.
Elsewhere: South African-born Drew Henry debuted at cult house Courrèges with city-ready ski pants and grommeted tops; Daniel Roseberry turned the Carrousel du Louvre into a 1930s nightclub for Schiaparelli, complete with surreal dolphin and pig prints; Sarah Burton delivered a tailoring masterclass at Givenchy behind Napoleon's Tomb; and Michael Rider's Celine show — under a thatched Pacific-style gazebo — was widely called the most acclaimed collection of the week. Miu Miu went full sport, with Miuccia Prada sending Olivia Colman, Emma Corrin and Ella Bleu Travolta down the runway in track pants, climbing cords and New Balance collaborations. 'The new normal is sport,' the 78-year-old designer shrugged. Sporty cords, wide horseshoe-buckle belts, strip bras under sheaths and extreme lightness were the season's recurring codes.
For travellers, the takeaway is that Paris remains the world's most theatrical stage twice a year. Even without an invitation, the city rewards the trip: show venues double as landmarks — the Tuileries, Grand Palais, Louvre courtyards, the Conciergerie — and the streets around the Marais and Saint-Germain turn into open-air runways where street style rivals the catwalk. If you want a front-row feel without a VIP badge, plan a visit during fashion week and simply walk between the venues.
